Love Him
by jaymeaaron
Summary: Harry didn't grow up in the muggle world or the wizarding world. Just where did he grow up? Better summary inside...The story will contain SLASH, AU and different worlds. Crossover with Suikoden III
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter One**

Sleepy twin emerald orbs cracked open at the sound of someone knocking on his cupboard door. 'Odd' he thought. He could tell it was still dark outside, since no light shown under the door. His aunt would not be up for awhile yet. Then who could it be? Deciding to ignore the noise, the little six year old pulled his thin, ratty blanket over his head intent on going back to sleep. Whoever was on the other side of the door had other ideas though.

Knock… Knock!

Growling in irritation, the young boy threw the covers off and crawled towards the door. His bed, if you could even call it that, took up the entire length of the cupboard.

"Harry?" the person asked quietly.

The boy blinked in shock. It had been so long since he had last heard his own name. His 'family' did not use it. To them, he was either boy or freak, but never Harry. No, Harry did not exist to them. Edging the cupboard door open, thanking whoever was responsible for not locking it, he nearly fell back in fright.

Standing just outside his cupboard was an old man. However, there was something odd about this old man. He definitely was not normal. His beard was so long that he had to tuck it in his belt, his nose was long and crooked, and he was a good six feet tall and a set of half moon spectacles rested in front of his twinkling sapphire eyes. The weirdest part was his chose of clothing. It looked like he was wearing a dress with sparkling moons and stars on it. The little boy shook his head at the sight, deciding to ask questions about his wardrobe later.

"Harry?" the man asked again, lowering himself to the boy's level. Harry nodded silently and the man smile jovially. "Ah yes, I thought that was you. Listen Harry, I need for you to gather your things."

"Why?"

"Because I'm taking you away from here." the man replied and smiled when Harry's eyes went comically wide.

The boy sputtered for a few moments before asking, "Why? They are my only family. I don't have anywhere else to go," he said quietly and looked down.

The twinkle in the man's eyes dimmed at the sight of the broken boy in front of him. Not for the first time did he curse himself for leaving Harry with this family. Alas, he had thought it was the right thing to do back then. Oh how wrong he had been. He should have listened to Minerva and Poppy.

"Harry, I'm sending you to another family. This time, you'll be treated right." he told the boy, raising his chin with his forefinger. Looking into the boy's eyes, he confessed, "It was a mistake for me to send you here."

"You sent me here?" Harry asked, betrayed. "Why? They hate me!" the nearly screamed.

The old man sighed. He had hoped things would go easier today. "Harry, we can talk about this later, but I need for you to gather your belongings now. The quicker you do, the quicker we can leave."

Harry stared into the old man's eyes searching for any sign of deceit, but found none. The old man was telling him the truth that much he was certain. Nodding, Harry said, "I'm ready, sir."

The old man frowned. "Isn't there anything you wish to take?"

Harry lowered his head, making his hair fall in front of his face to hide his blushing cheeks. "I don't really have anything, sir. They never really gave me anything," he answered quietly, ashamed at how horrible his family was.

This time, the twinkle left the old man's eyes entirely. He had heard of minor mistreatment, but it was apparently worse than Ms. Figg had suspected. They had not even bought their own nephew anything at all! How could Lily's sister have turned out this horrible?

"It is okay, Harry. You won't need much with where you're going," the man said.

… … …

Several hours later, the old man and Harry landed in front of a large castle. While the old man had not seemed the least bit shocked at using a portkey, Harry was almost catatonic. The old man, who he learned was Albus Dumbledore, had explained to him about his parents. His mum and dad were a witch and wizard. They had not died in a car accident, like his 'family' had told him. No, they died trying to protect him. Of course, he had also destroyed the dark lord in the process. At least some good came of him being an orphan.

Albus glanced down at the young boy and smiled for the first time since arriving at 4 Privet Drive. He was glad to have Harry out of that house. First, he had taken young Harry to buy a few articles of clothing. The poor did not even have a pair of underwear. It was a good thing he told Minerva that he might be awhile. Glancing back towards the door, Albus caught sight of the women of his thoughts. Minerva was standing just outside the doors with an angry scowl on her face. Apparently, Ms. Figg had flooed Minerva about Harry's state. The old man sighed. This was one conversation that he would love to avoid, but knew he could not. 'All well, I'd better get it over with' he thought.

Minerva had been more understanding than Albus thought she would be. She understood why he had not come directly back to Hogwarts after picking Harry up. In fact, Albus had to put her in a full-body bind to keep her from going to the Dursley's and hexing them all into oblivion. Harry was one of her lions, whether he knew it or not. James and Lily, Harry's parents, had both been in Minerva's house. They were like her children, which made Harry her surrogate grandson. Of course, she almost hexed Albus for not listening to her when he placed Harry in that home.

… … …

"You can't be serious, Albus," Minerva seethed.

Shortly after getting Harry back to sleep, the headmaster had called an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. The topic of discussion was, of course, Harry. The question was what to do with him. They could not leave him to wander the halls of Hogwarts for six years. No, that would not do at all.

"Yes Minerva, I am serious," he replied, "Harry will need this time to himself. He is just a young boy. Let him be just that."

The deputy headmistress sighed. "Albus, but why send him to a different dimension? You know he won't be able to come back, right?" she asked.

"Yes Minerva, I know. But what other options do we have?" he asked, glancing at each of the order members. "If you can come up with another idea, then I'm all ears."

"Couldn't another family take him in?" Molly Weasley spoke up. "I know Arthur and I wouldn't mind taking him."

"Could you afford him?" Severus Snape sneered from across the table. "Everyone knows your financial status."

The red headed woman opened her mouth to retort but quickly snapped it shut at his second comment. It was true. They could not afford another child, no matter how much they wanted the green-eyed boy.

"Where and who would you send him to?" she asked, turning towards the headmaster.

The old man's eyes twinkled ten fold as he started speaking. "I know of a man. He was the chief of the Karaya Clan of the Grasslands. We were close, until someone poisoned him at a piece conference. His daughter is the chief now, but still, I am on fairly good terms with her as well."

"Albus, how is that possible? Crossing between dimensions just isn't possible," Minerva commented.

Albus' smile widened. "For normal people, yes, but it is not for those that control the keys of dimensions. Only certain leaders in every dimension hold one." he explained. "However, only we can travel through these gates. If I sent Harry there, I would have to obtain a majority vote from the council of key holders."

"Can you get a majority vote?" Severus surprisingly asked. Noticing the looks of astonishment on the other's faces, he explained, "As much as I loathe the Potters, I don't think that Potter should grow up being only used in the Wizarding world or abused in the muggle world."

"Speaking of being used and abused, what will we do about his magic?" Minerva questioned. "We can't send him to a world that doesn't even have magic."

"Relax, Minerva, "Albus chided, "The world I have in mind uses rune magic. Almost everyone uses some form of it."

"Rune magic?" someone asked.

"Ah yes, rune magic is when someone attaches a rune to their body. It makes it so anyone can use magic, so to speak. However, it is very different from our magic. Their rune magic deals with mostly the elements of Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Lightning." the headmaster explained. "But there are still what their people call 'mages'. That is someone who can perform our method of magic. They are much respected in that world."

"I see," the deputy headmistress murmured.

The headmaster glanced sadly in her direction. He knew she did not want to send Harry away, but knew they had to. He could not grow up in this world. In fact, it would be better if he did not. Besides, he knew Lucia would care for him as if he was her own child. The Karaya Clan prized children high on the list of miracles. If nothing else, Luce, Lucia's best friend, would definitely look after young Harry. That woman was like a second mother to everyone in her village. She even looked after some of the adults who were too busy to cook and clean.

Albus blinked and broke his thoughts, noticing that Severus was trying to talk to him. "I'm sorry, Severus, but what did you say?"

The potion's master sighed at the old man. "I asked if you could get a majority vote from the council."

Albus folded his hands underneath his chin in thought. Once he explained the situation, he was sure the council would agree. His old friends, Zerase, Jeane and Leknaat, were all on the council. Zerase would argue with him, Jeane would giggle non-stop, while Leknaat would give some speech about the flow of time and destiny. They would agree though.

"Yes," he finally answered.

The others nodded, but Minerva asked, "Albus, how will he learn his kind of magic?"

"Although this would be a one time trip for Harry, as a key holder, I can travel freely through the dimensions. I will visit him periodically to teach him." Albus replied.

… … …

The village was unusually quiet for this time of the morning. Usually, there were already quite a few people awake and roaming. Of course, there had been a celebration festival last night. Most were probably sleeping off their hangovers. That would not surprise her in the least. Karayans loved to drink. A celebration after the end of a long war made it all the sweeter. It gave them a reason to party, and to thank the Earth and Wind spirits properly.

Call it superstitious mumbo jumbo if you like, but the blessing of the spirits is a big thing to any grasslander. Without the blessing of the spirits, their land would dry up and their crops die. Yes, the spirits played a big part in their everyday lives. Her father, rest his soul, had taught her everything she knew about the spirits.

Lucia's blue-green eyes rested on the gates of the village and spotted movement. It was not an enemy. She was sure of at least that much. It was too early for any kind of attack. Even the Zexens had some amount of pride and respect. Besides, sneak attacks were not their style. Easing herself from where she had been leaning, she made her way towards the gate.

Arriving at the gate, she did not notice anything. Not even the grass was moving or the birds chirping. That was odd. Lucia turned to head back to her hut when a loud cracking sound rang out and a blinding light flashed. The female chief reacted quickly and grabbed her whip, preparing for an invasion. However, no one came. The blonde haired woman frowned heavily. Someone cast a magic spell, but no one was there. In all honesty, it frightened her. Lucia put away her whip, and turned to head back when something caught her eye. Turning back around, she jumped in surprise. Sitting on the ground, not ten feet away from her, was a child. He looked like he was maybe three or four at the most. The boy noticed her and quickly stood up.

"Who are you?" Lucia demanded. The boy glanced at her and frowned. Lucia growled in irritation. She did not have time for games. "I said who are you?" Again, the boy frowned at her but held out a letter in her direction. Lucia eyed the boy suspiciously, before snatching the letter from between his fingers. The female chief opened the letter and started reading, before scowling at the paper.

"Damn you, Dumbledore! You would have to send me someone that can't even speak our language!"

**Author's Note: **The first chapter is now complete. I hope you all enjoyed. If not, then I apologize. I know that this story will not be for everyone, as some will not understand it. Anyway, I hope to have chapter two up soon as well. The second chapter will pick up after a ten-year time leap.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Two**

Karaya village was peaceful and quiet in the early mornings. He loved that part the most. It was his time, his time to be alone and just think. Most times, he did not have anything serious on his mind. He simply enjoyed getting away from his overbearing mother and his crazy Aunt Luce. Lucia, his mother, was not his real mother. He had always known since the beginning, but he still treated her as if she was. After all, she raised him. How could he not love her? She had given him a family. It was a crazy, dysfunctional family, but still, it was his family.

Lucia, the chief of the Karaya Clan, was a stern woman. She had to be. If she showed weakness, then her enemies would have gotten the best of her long ago. No matter how tough she was, she was still a loving mother. Hugo, his little brother, was whom he was closest. Hugo was a year younger than he was, but they got along famously. Well, after he had learned the language here they got along. Before that, they had not understood each other and fought a lot.

His extended family was who made it weird. Aunt Luce was a jolly, loveable woman. She had a mother hen complex though. To her, everyone needed to eat at least six times a day to be healthy. Everyone loved the woman though, even if she did tend to tell people they were underweight and needed to eat more. Lulu, Luce's youngest son, was Hugo's best friend. He was four years younger than Harry, which made him twelve. He liked him okay, but the kid annoyed the hell out of him. Lulu was someone he could only handle in small, controlled doses. Hugo never seemed to get sick of him though.

The rest of his extended family included Beecham, his mother's right hand man, and Jimba, Lulu's big brother. Like himself, he knew that Jimba was not Luce's real child. He was still apart of their crazy family though, whether he wanted to be or not.

Harry glanced towards the horizon just in time to see the sun's rays peeking over the mountaintop. It was the same thing everyday, but Harry never got sick of its beauty. This was another reason he loved the early morning. Watching the sunrise was a beautiful and enchanting experience. Harry let a smile break out on his face when he heard the cry of his brother's griffin, Fubar. Harry had been scared of the large griffin at first, but quickly overcame his fear after the griffin saved his life. That was a whole other story though.

The teen slid off the fence railing, where he had been perched, and brushed the splinters off his pants. It was time to head back inside, before his mother awoke to find his bed empty. His mother was damn scary in the mornings before she had a chance to eat. Most people needed coffee but not his mother. No, she needed her steak and eggs. She could not function without them. As he said before, his family was weird and dysfunctional.

… … …

"Harry, is that you?"

Harry winced at his mother's voice. She normally did not wake this early. "Yes, mother. It's me."

Not a second later, Lucia stood before her eldest son with her hands clenched tightly on her hips. It was her typical 'I'm pissed off at you, so you better know what you did, cause I ain't explaining it' stance. "And just where were you this morning?" she asked crisply.

The teen tried not to roll his eyes…the key word being 'tried'. "I was watching the sunrise, like I do every morning," he informed her.

Lucia's blue-green eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't get an attitude with me, young man!" she snapped. "You're not too young for me to take over my knee!"

Emerald eyes instantly filled with humor, as he tried not to laugh. He remembered his mom saying the same thing to Jimba last week. The worse part, Luce had offered to help. Failing miserably, the teen doubled over with laughter, earning himself an odd look from his mother.

Lucia's mouth quirked into an amused smile, though she did try to hide it, and she asked, "Just what is so funny, Harry?"

"Jimba… spank… last week…" was all he could manage between fits of laughter.

The Karaya Clan chief rolled her eyes at her hysterically laughing son. Only he would remember something like her threat to Jimba. Of course, Harry had a superb memory. He could remember the smallest of details. Maybe that is why he excelled in almost everything he had ever tried. He was an excellent rider, an excellent hunter, an excellent cook, and he could beat anyone when it came to rune magic. He even outstripped her abilities, which was saying something. She was one of the best rune casters in all the Grasslands, Zexen, and Dunan. Only people who specialized in runes, such as rune masters, could top her skill. Harry was a mage though. He had an edge when it came to runes. However, Harry was not much of a fighter. He could hold his own in a battle, but he preferred not to fight in the first place.

"When you are quite finished!" she finally snapped, causing her son's giggles to stop almost instantly. "I need to speak with you and Hugo. It is important, but I'll wait until after you've eaten." she told him. "I'll be a Luce's when you're ready." Not giving him a chance to respond, Lucia swept past her son and out of the hut.

Harry scowled at the spot his mother had stood, blaming it for his mother's mood. Of all the days for his mother to catch him, it was when she needed him. He had no doubt in his mind that she knew what he did each morning; she had just never caught him in the act. As long as she never caught them, she let him and Hugo get away with a lot. Harry was not sure how long he stood staring at that spot, until his brother's voice snap him back to reality.

"Morning, short stuff," Hugo crowed happily entering the hut. He was sweaty and breathing hard. That meant he had just come back from his morning ride.

Harry growled at the younger teen. "I'm not short!" he snapped, glaring at the blonde haired boy. Hugo had the oddest hair. It was blonde with natural black tips. "You're just abnormally tall for your age." Harry stuck his tongue out at his brother.

"Harry, I'm a whole year younger than you, and I'm already three inches taller than you. Trust me, you're short." Hugo smirked at the look a rage that crossed his brother's face. He loved teasing Harry about his height. At sixteen, Harry only stood 5'2" and probably would not grow anymore. Harry was the only male in the village shorter than he was, except Lulu. He was only twelve years old though.

Harry knew his brother was distracted, so he took the opportunity and lunged at the younger boy. Harry grabbed the boy's waist and tackled him to the ground, causing Hugo to squeak in a high-pitched voice. Harry pinned the younger boy beneath him and started tickling his brother's sides.

"S-Stop, Harry," Hugo begged between fits of laughter.

"No, not until you say it," Harry demanded never pausing in his onslaught.

The younger teen laughed helplessly against his brother's ministration. Harry continued tickling his brother until Lucia came looking for them, since they had not arrived yet.

… … …

"Harry, Hugo, are you two ready to listen now?" Lucia asked, trying to keep the smile off her face. She had seen that tickling scene many times in the past, but it never failed to amuse her. Both boys were very serious by nature, except around each other. That is when they acted their age.

"Yes, mother." both boys answered in unison and looked towards the ground.

"Good," she said, "Tomorrow morning, Hugo will be leaving for Vinay del Zexay to deliver a letter to the Zexen Council for me. It should take about a week to travel to there, deliver the message, and make it back home," she explained.

Both boys' heads snapped up at their mother's words. Harry tried to speak but Hugo beat him to it. "What? Why do I have to go?" he cried in disbelief.

"Hugo, as the son of the Karaya Clan's chief, you are the best choice," she explained, not noticing her words. Hugo noticed them though.

"If your son has to go, then why can't Harry?" he asked.

Lucia sucked in sharply. How would she explain to Hugo that Harry was not her real son and not his real brother? However, before she could speak, Harry answered. "Because, I'm not her son," he answered quietly.

Hugo whipped around towards his brother and stared in shock. Harry was not his brother. He could not believe it. Sure, he had a different hair color and his eyes were darker, but he had always thought they just had different fathers.

"Hugo, let me explain how Harry came to be here with us." Lucia butted in before the blonde-haired boy could blow a gasket. Hugo tore his eyes away from Harry, who was staring off into the distant, and focused on his mother.

"Explain, now!" he bit out harshly.

"Very well, Hugo. Ten years ago, one of my father's old friends sent Harry to live here. His parents had been murdered by some crazed dark lord, and even after his defeat, Harry wasn't safe." Lucia paused and looked at her son, garnering his reaction. So far, he seemed to be taking it well. "First, he'd been sent to live with relatives, but they hadn't cared for him at all. It was after my father's friend found out about his living conditions that he sent him to me."

The younger boy was quietly rolling over the information he had just received. He was not particularly upset about it. He was more hurt. "Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked quietly.

"I asked her not to," Harry commented for the first time since Lucia had started telling the story. "I didn't think you'd like me anymore."

Hugo's attention snapped back to his brother. "What? Are you stupid?" he nearly screeched. "Of course I like you. You're my brother," he told him truthfully. "I'm just a bit hurt that you kept this from me."

"I'm sorry."

Without thinking, Hugo pulled the shorter teen into a hug, and hugged him for all he was worth. Of course, if he had remembered his mother was there, then he probably would not have. The hug lasted all of ten seconds before he heard his mother cooing at them. Hugo quickly pushed the shorter teen away and glared at his mother. If she knew he tended to hug Harry a lot, then she would try to hug him a lot more. It just was not cool to hug your mom after the age of twelve, in his opinion anyway. Harry still hugged her though.

"Mother, did you have to do that?" Hugo whined.

"Of course I did. It's my job to embarrass you two." That earned her a glare from both boys. "Anyway, I need you to prepare for your trip, Hugo. Sergeant Jordi and Lulu will also be traveling with you." she informed him. Lucia then turned toward her eldest son. "Harry, you will attend the peace conference with me, Beecham, Dupa and Sana. Is that alright with you?"

Harry nodded. "When will we leave?"

Lucia ran her hand through her hair, something she only did while in deep thought. "Hugo should arrive in Vinay del Zexay at the end of the week. So, probably a day or so before then," she informed him. "Now, Hugo, go and get ready. I need to speak with Harry privately." Hugo eyed her suspiciously but followed her order. "Let's take a walk, Harry. There's something I need to tell you."

Harry followed his mother out of the hut, jogging to keep up with her. For a woman, Lucia was tall, standing at 5'10". She was a good eight inches taller than he was. Hell, everyone was taller than he was. Even Aila, his best friend, was taller. Eventually, his mother stopped at the gates of the village and motioned for him to sit down. Wanting to know what she had to tell him, he quickly complied. Lucia was silent for a few minutes, and he began to wonder if she would tell him or not. After a long while, Lucia finally started speaking.

"Harry, I hate to be the one to tell you this." she started quietly. "Dumbledore, the man who gave you to me, made me promise to tell you this when you became sixteen. Even though I wish I didn't, I have to tell you." Harry glanced at his mother from the corner of his eye and almost fainted. Lucia was crying. No wonder she had led them to the village gates. No one would be around to see her in this state. "The night your parents were murdered, they weren't trying to protect you. Your real mother and father, Lily and James Potter, had promised you to the dark lord in exchange for their safety. There was a prophecy made about you. It said that only you had the power to stop this Lord Voldemort. Albus assured me that you have already fulfilled the prophecy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent you here."

When Lucia finished speaking, she glanced at her adopted son. He had tears flowing down his cheeks and more filled his eyes. The clan chief sighed softly. Harry had always been emotional, and this was the worst news ever. It hurt her as well to explain that his real parents had traded his life for their own protection. Lucia had to look away at the sight of her son. She would never say anything ill about them aloud in respect for her son, but it did not stop her from thinking it. A Karayan woman would have died before she ever gave up her child. Moreover, there was not a woman in the entire village that would not give up their lives to save that of a child. Children were precious gifts from the earth and wind spirits. His biological family may have betrayed him, but not a single Karayan would ever do that.

Lucia glanced at her son again and noticed he was holding it all inside, waiting to be alone to let everything out. Harry may be emotional, but he would never break down in front of people. It was both a blessing and a curse. Many in the village respected him. Not only was he the chief's son but he knew natural magic. People regarded that as an exceptional and rare gift. That also meant he was a master with most kinds of rune magic. Yes, her son was special…both of them. Harry may not have been her child by blood but in her heart, he was. That is all that mattered after all.

**Author's Note: **There you have it, the second chapter. I hope you all enjoyed. For those who are wondering, the story will most likely continue with the story of Suikoden III. Many events will change though, however, some major events will remain the same. For instance, Lulu's part will still happen. Luc, Sarah and Yuber's parts will probably change. After all, Harry would be able to detect the use of Sarah's magic. He would most likely know about the hatred spell cast in Karaya village and probably see through most of Sarah's spells. Remember, Harry is still a powerful wizard, even if he did not attend Hogwarts. After all, Dumbledore trained him in the ways of Wizarding magic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Three**

Several days passed and Harry desperately was missing his brother. Call him a sap, but he and Hugo had never been away from one another for more than a day. In truth, he was worried. Something just did not feel right to him, but he could not place whatever it was. It was a gut feeling, a strong gut feeling. Tonight he and the clan leaders were meeting the Knights of Zexen for peace negotiations. The sooner it came to time, the worse his feeling became. He knew he should have told someone, but he did not want to rattle any cages just before the conference.

The teen sighed and turned towards the window to stare outside. Hugo should have reached the Zexen capital by now. He knew his little brother could take care of himself, but that did not stop him from worrying. Besides, he had Sergeant Jordi and Lulu with him. Lulu may be an annoying brat, but he could also hold his own in a fight. Sergeant Jordi was an experienced Duck Clan fighter. He would be the most help to Hugo.

Sighing again, Harry closed his eyes, enjoying the cool breeze flowing through the window. Karayan summers were hot. Of course, he was use to it by now. He contemplated casting a Breath of Ice spell, but decided it was not worth the effort. He felt lazy today. It was probably due to his brother's absence. Only Hugo could snap him from his melancholy moments. How did he do it? No one knows, although many tried to find out his secret.

Harry huffed in the direction of the window before glancing down at his right hand. He had to look closely, but he could see the faint outline of the Flowing Rune attached to his hand. That was his favorite rune. Not only was it beautiful, but it was used to heal injuries. That was something he greatly enjoyed. It may have been his favorite and most used rune, but he did have two others. There was a Thunder Rune on his forehead and a Cyclone Rune attached to his left hand. Honestly, he felt more at ease when he used his rune magic instead of his natural magic. Rune magic left him feeling all tingly and happy, while his natural magic only seemed to drain him. Oh, he still used his natural magic, just not often. He only used it against something he could not beat with rune magic.

Harry flopped back against his bed and let out a long, suffering sigh. Spirits, he missed Hugo. What could be taking him so long? All he had to do was deliver a letter. Knowing Lulu was with him made Harry stop and think. Lulu probably talked Hugo into touring the city or something. Harry snorted humorously. Yeah, that brat could make a Troll Dragon commit suicide just from listening to his non-stop chatter.

Shifting onto his side to look back out of the window, the teen yawned loudly. He was tired today. He had not slept well the past few nights. Without Hugo around to steal the covers, it just was not the same. Yes, he and Hugo tended to sleep in the same bed…and sleep was all that happened. It was normal for boys to share a bed, especially ones as close as Hugo and him. Besides, Hugo was his little brother. Despite their closeness, their relationship was strictly brotherly, even though many thought otherwise. Harry really hated those gossiping broads.

Speaking of gossip, someone had found out that he was gay. By the next morning, the entire village knew. It did not bother anyone though. The Grassland people believed that love was love. In fact, all of his fan girls started leaving him alone, which was a huge relief. He could actually walk around during the day and not get glomped by some over zealous harpy…fan girl. Whenever Aila was around, she would help by throwing the girls roughly away. No wonder most of the villagers feared her. Harry did not want to get on her bad side.

Harry finally let his eyelids droop shut and laid in the dark stillness of the night. He liked early mornings the best, but nightfall was not bad either. It was not long before the teen dozed off. Not getting enough sleep and really worn him out. If there were a sneak attack against the village, he would most likely be of little help. He was so tired that he was not sure if his magic or rune magic would even work. He did not want to test that theory though. Besides, he was leaving for the piece conference in just a few hours.

… … …

"Hugo, what's bothering you?" Lulu asked, skipping along the stone path towards the inn.

Hugo frowned and burrowed his brow in thought. Something did not feel right. He could not place what it was though. Maybe it was just the city. He was much happier back home. For the past few nights, he had not been able to sleep a wink. All this waiting had pissed him off beyond reason. Honestly, if they knew to expect the message then they should have been ready. Did that happen…NO! The stupid 'ironheads' had made them wait for three whole days before seeing them. Even then, Hugo had not gotten to deliver the message personally. The Council had sent a messenger. It figures that an 'ironhead' would pull a stunt like that. They probably did it just to try to show that they were better than Grasslanders were. Oh, how wrong they were. Grasslanders bow to no one.

"Nothing's wrong, Lulu." Hugo finally answered. "I was just thinking. That's all." he lied.

Both Lulu and the Sergeant caught his lie but did not comment on it. "So, Hugo, I bet you're glad we're leaving at dawn," the Sergeant teased.

Hugo, however, simply cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why is that, Sergeant?" he asked.

The Sergeant quack softly and rolled his deep blue-violet eyes at the boy. "It doesn't matter, Hugo. Besides, if you don't know then I'm not telling you."

"B-But…" the teen stuttered. "Come on, Sergeant! You have to tell me!"

The duck warrior stopped in his tracks and turned towards the clan chief's son. The Sergeant studied the boy. He stood about 5'5", had light blue-green eyes and a nice tan. He could see what people saw in him. Of course, the majority of the people who had pursued him had been Harry's crazed fan girls trying to use him to get close to his brother. To him though, he was just Hugo, part of the Karaya Clan…nothing more, nothing less.

"I'll tell you when we get back to the village." the Sergeant then turned and continued towards the inn, the two youths trailing behind him.

Later that evening, Hugo laid on his bed thinking about the Sergeant's words from earlier. What exactly had he been trying to say? It was important, whatever it was. Otherwise, the Sergeant would have told him outright. He only kept him in the dark when it was something important but would not cause him physical harm.

Hugo shifted on the bed and turned onto his side to stare at the blank, wooden wall. He much preferred his own bed to this pile of fluff any day. Moreover, he also had his brother to cuddle like a giant stuffed animal. 'Wait a minute!' he mind screeched 'Why the fuck did I just think that?' Harry was his brother. Well, not by blood, but he was still his brother. He had seen him as his brother for far too long to change it now, right? Now he understood what the Sergeant was trying to tell him. He missed Harry. That is why he had not been able to sleep that well at night. He was use to Harry being beside him.

The teen groaned aloud. He had gotten himself into a fine mess this time. He had a crush on his brother, Harry. 'Wait, he isn't my brother' he thought. Okay, now it did not seem as weird. It was still weird, just not as much as before. Damn, how would he ever face Harry again? If the Sergeant knew about his crush, then he must have known that Harry was not his real brother. He and the Sergeant would definitely have a chat later. Was Hugo the only one that had not known?

… … …

The sun had gone down a while ago, but the party was still in full swing. The peace negotiations went smoothly. Everyone was happy, but Harry still could not shake that dark feeling in the pit of his stomach. As time passed, it got worse. Worse, his mother had disappeared with a Lizard Clan fighter. Harry had just decided to tell her about his feeling when she had disappeared.

Glancing towards the Zexen camp, Harry squinted to get a better look. Nothing seemed amiss over there, but he could not tell for sure. So far, it only seemed as if they were conversing with one another. He could have cast a listening charm, but he did not want to invade their privacy too much. Besides, you could tell almost anything from an opponent's stance and body language. They did not look like they were planning anything. Again though, it is better to be safe than sorry.

"Glaring at the ironheads won't make them disappear," someone commented from behind him. Harry spun on his heel, pulled out his whip, and dropped into a fighting stance on instinct. "Whoa, Harry! I didn't mean to surprise you," an older Karaya fighter said, holding his hands up.

Harry scowled at the older man, but put his weapon away. "Beecham, you know better than to sneak up on one of the village chief's sons," Harry snapped at the man, "I could've seriously injured you."

The older fighter shrugged. "Yes, you could've, but you know better than to just attack outright." Harry scowled harder at the man, who cracked a grin at the flustered, pissed teen. "Anyway, why were you just staring at the Zexen camp?"

Harry turned back towards the knight's camp before speaking. "Something feels wrong, Beecham. I can't place it though," he murmured softly, "I'm a little freaked by what I'm feeling also."

"Harry? Have you told your mother?" the older man asked.

The teen shook his head. "I didn't get the chance. She left with a Lizard Clan fighter shortly after the peace negotiations."

Beecham tapped his fingers against his chin in thought. "Last I saw, she was with Dupa," he told the teen, "I can send someone to find them if you want."

Harry contemplated it for a few minutes before he shook his head. "Nah, that's ok. I'd rather not send up a false alarm," he told him, "I'm sure it's fine."

Beecham stared at the teen in disbelief. He had never been wrong before with any of his feelings. Harry had some sort of sixth sense. "Whatever," he commented, and turned to stare at the knight's camp along with Harry.

The feeling was worse than ever as he stared at the knights. It felt like a strong wave of hatred and sadness emanating over the battlefield between them. It was a tidal wave of emotions, so to speak. 'Odd' he thought. He had not felt anyone casting a spell. The longer he stood there, he clearer the feeling became. Then it finally hit him. Who ever cast the spell had not cast it here. They cast it from another location. 'But why would anyone want to cast a Hatred Barrier?' he asked himself.

"The knights are up to something," Beecham commented from his side, "They're moving."

Harry could tell the knights were on the move, but why. They had no reason for it. Glancing further along the battlefield, the teen caught sight of a Lizard Clan fighting unit charging. Harry's eyes went wide at the sight. Why had the Lizard Clan broken the peace agreement already? Something was not right. He just knew. The Lizard Clan was an honorable bunch. They would not pull a stunt like this for no reason.

"Beecham, find my mom and Dupa. Something isn't right," the teen commanded the fighter.

The older fighter saw the seriousness in the teen's face and nodded. "Fine, but I want you to stay with our fighters. Lucia would kill me if anything happened to you."

"Alright, Beecham… Just hurry and find my mom!"

Harry watched the older fighter run towards a group of people in the distance, so he turned back to watch the knight's movements. Why was the Lizard Clan attacking? Had something happened that he did not know about?

… … …

Hugo stared at the moon's reflection off the surface of the water. Vinay Del Zexay was only peaceful at night, and even then, something was always happening. He was just happy to be leaving in the morning. In fact, morning could not come quick enough. The teen yawned and stretched his tired limbs. It was about two in the morning, yet he could not sleep. He wondered if Harry was having the same troubles as him.

"Sulking won't make morning arrive sooner," Sergeant Jordi commented and took a seat next to the teen.

Hugo scowled at the Duck Clan fighter. "I'm not sulking!" he snapped. "I was just wondering how the peace conference went." Okay, so it was not a total lie. He had been wondering about Harry, and Harry was at the conference.

The Sergeant eyed him distrustfully. He could tell when Hugo was lying, but he would not say anything this time. "I'm sure they went fine. After all, your mother's there."

"Yeah," Hugo commented and leaned back against the windowsill, "I just wish Harry didn't have to be there," he murmured to himself, but the Sergeant still heard.

"Hugo, Harry is also part of the Karaya Clan, and he's Lucia's eldest son. It makes sense for him to attend the conference," the Sergeant said.

"Sergeant, can I ask you something?" Jordi glanced at the teen before nodding. "Before we left for Vinay del Zexay, mom and Harry told me something important," he started, but the Sergeant cut him off.

"She confessed that Harry wasn't her natural child?" he asked, taking a blind guess.

Hugo's mouth dropped open. He knew the Sergeant had known. "When did you find out?"

The Duck Clan fighter leaned back against the windowsill opposite from Hugo as he started speaking. "I guess I was about five years ago. That's when that strange old man started coming to the village to teach Harry magic." Hugo nodded silently. Yeah, it had been about five years since Dumbledore started instructing Harry. "I corned Lucia one day and demanded the truth. She told me, but made me promise to keep my silence. You and Harry had just started getting along. She didn't want to destroy the relationship you were building with each other." he finished and glanced at the teen. So far, he had taken it well. Obviously, he was past his temper tantrum phase.

"I guess I understand. If I had known then, I probably would've hated Harry for not being my real brother," Hugo whispered, but knew the Sergeant could hear, "But now it doesn't matter. Harry is just Harry. I don't know what I'd do without him." Hugo and the Sergeant sat in silence, enjoying the cool, night breeze. They both had a lot of thinking to do.

A clattering of heavy, steel armor and hurried footsteps broke the pair from their thoughts. Hugo peered out the window to the street below and nearly cursed aloud. There were about ten knights gathered in front of the inn.

"Sergeant, I think we should get out of here," the teen said. "Wake up Lulu."

"Alright, but if he hits me, you're dead meat once we get out of here." the Sergeant threatened and went about waking the pre-teen.

**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed the third chapter. I really enjoyed writing it as well. I liked the way the chapter turned out because of the insight it gives into both Harry and Hugo's inner thoughts. Harry is quite a powerful magic user, even if he doesn't use his 'natural magic' a lot. No, Dumbledore or the Wizarding World will not play a big part in this story. Before anyone flames me for that, just remember that I usually make Dumbledore into a nasty, manipulative old man. Be thankful that he is not a bad person in this. As a side note, whom should I pair with Harry? So far, the top running is for Hugo or Jacques.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Four**

The battle raged all around them. Karaya and Lizard fighters fell one by one. It was the bloodiest thing Harry had ever seen in his life. Not even the skirmishes with Dunan had been this bad. He still could not believe what had happened. One minute they were celebrating a successful peace agreement and the next they were staring at each other from opposite ends of a battlefield. He had not even had time to retreat to safety as his mother had ordered him to do.

"Harry, I told you to get out of here," Lucia snapped, sidestepping an enemy's slash.

If the situation had not been so serious, Harry would have rolled his eyes. "Sorry, mom, but I didn't get the memo." Harry heard a deep chuckle from besides them and turned his head towards the sound. "Dupa, don't laugh at me."

"Sorry, Harry, but only you could insult your mother and still fight in a battle." the Lizard Clan fighter said, slashing away a knight who got too close.

The teen smirked at the comment. "What can I say? I'm multitalented."

Lucia did roll her eyes at the Lizard fighter and her son. "That's enough, you two." she scolded. "We're here to fight not socialize."

… … …

"Are they still chasing us?" Hugo panted leaning against a tree.

"I don't think so." Lulu was also out of breath. They had just run all the way from Vinay del Zexay to the forest. "Sergeant, can you see anyone?"

"No, I don't. I think we lost them." he commented breathing heavily.

Hugo slid down the trunk of the tree to the ground and rested his head on his knees. There was no way he would believe what those knights had told him. Grasslanders would never sneak attack someone.

"Come on, you two. We're still in Zexen territory so we have to be careful."

Hugo glanced up and scowled at the duck. "I know, Sergeant. I just need a few minutes."

The duck huffed and glared at the teen. "We don't have a few minutes, Hugo. Those knights are probably pursuing us as we speak."

Hugo breathed deeply trying to quell the hurt in his chest. After running like that, his lungs burned for the need of oxygen. "What do we do now, Sergeant? To get back home we have to pass through Brass Castle," he needlessly reminded.

The Sergeant's eyes closed as he thought. Could they make it through the compound without someone spotting them? What were their chances? "We'll just have to try and pass through undetected. Otherwise, we sit here and wait to get caught."

"As much as I don't like that plan, I have to agree." Hugo grimaced at his own words. "Let's just hope someone isn't doing their job."

"What!" Lulu screamed in outrage. "You mean we're going straight through a place filled with ironheads!"

Hugo sneered at his best friend. "Would you rather get caught?" he asked sarcastically. "That's the only chance we've got."

"Fine,"

… … …

He could not believe those knights. They had raided and burned their village to the ground. Harry was steamed. Those cowardly, good for nothing knights had done this. The Karaya forces had retreated once they learned their village was under attack, but by the time they arrived, it had been too late. The village and everyone in it were gone. The worst was yet to come. Whoever cast that Hatred Barrier cast it in or close to the village. Honestly, the knights may have attacked, but they could not control all of their actions. The barrier fed off emotions of hate and sorrow. Someone used tonight in his or her plans. Try telling that to his mother or Dupa. Both felt horrible right now. Dupa had not protected the Lizard Clan chief, and him mother felt as if she failed her people. The worst part was that Hugo had no clue about what happened. For all Harry knew, he was still stuck in the Zexen capitol.

"I'm sure he's safe, Harry." Lucia commented as she fell into the chair next to his. "Hugo is a strong boy, and he has Lulu and Sergeant Jordi with him."

Harry glanced up at his mother and sighed. "I know, mother, but I'm still worried. What if they did something to him because of tonight's battle."

Lucia wrapped her arms around Harry's shoulders and pulled him close to herself. "Harry, I'm sure they're fine. We shouldn't waste time worrying about things we can't help." she scolded him gently. "If they don't show up here in a week I'll send Jimba and Beecham to search for them."

"Thank you, mom," Harry wrapped his arms around his mother's waist and rested his head against her chest. Most sixteen year olds would have gone ballistic with this, but he enjoyed it.

They stood there in silence holding each other; each worried for Hugo, but neither really saying anything. Before long, Lucia broke the silence. "Beecham told me something just before I came to look for you. He said you felt someone cast a powerful spell." Harry nodded but stayed silent. "Why didn't you tell me about it?" Lucia questioned.

Harry sighed and pulled away from her. He just knew she would bring that up. "I couldn't find you. You were off with Dupa and the Lizard Clan," he told her, "Besides, I didn't notice it until just before the fighting started. That's why I sent Beecham to find you."

"Do you know what kind of spell it was?"

"It was a Hatred Barrier." at his mother's curious glance he elaborated. "It's a spell that feeds off a person's hatred and sorrow, and amplifies their need to wreak havoc."

Lucia's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Are you telling me that it was cast on those knights?" she asked and Harry nodded. "Why?"

Harry huffed and slung his arms in the air. "I don't know, mother!" he snapped, earning a glare from the chief. "All I know is that someone cast the spell. I don't know why they did."

"Who cast a spell?" someone asked and Harry jumped in surprise. He had not heard anyone approaching.

Lucia had noticed and stifled a laugh at her son's surprise. "Harry was just telling me that he felt someone cast a spell just before the fighting broke out, Dupa," she said, turning towards the new chief of the Lizard Clan. "He's informed me that is was a Hatred Barrier," she too elaborated at the lizard's look of confusion.

Various emotions passed through Dupa eyes as she relayed the information. First was shock, followed by anger, and finally, surprisingly enough, sympathy.

"So those knights caused so much destruction because someone was influencing them?" he asked surprised. At both Harry and Lucia's nods, he growled deeply. "Harry, can you tell who cast the spell?"

The teen thought silently for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think so. Whoever cast it was as powerful, if not more powerful, than me."

"Well, it won't do any good dwelling on the subject. I think we all need some rest." Lucia butted in before Dupa could question her son further.

… … …

Hugo, Lulu and the Sergeant could not believe their luck. So far, knights attacked them in Vinay del Zexay, chased them through Brass Castle, and somehow they ended up in some run down escape tunnel. At least the knights had not caught them though.

"How far does this tunnel go?" Lulu whined childishly.

"For the tenth time, I don't know!" Hugo snapped. He was close to killing the brat himself and blaming it on an ironhead. The Sergeant would not let him though. "Do me favor, Lulu, and don't speak again until we're out of this dump!"

Besides him, he heard the Sergeant stifling a few humorous quacks. "I couldn't have said it better myself," he laughed.

Hugo snorted. "Sergeant, I've heard you tell him to shut up numerous times."

"True, but never like that." he argued. "Besides, you're version actually worked." he said pointing towards the silent boy.

Hugo glanced towards his best friend and his lips twitched at the sight of him sulking like a child. It was somewhat cute. "Don't pout, Lu. We're just having some fun."

The boy in questioned scowled darkly at them both. "I'm not pouting! I'm just ignoring you!"

"Aww, come on, Lulu. Don't be mad." Hugo begged.

It was Lulu's turn to be amused. Hugo never begged. "Fine," he snapped, unable to resist Hugo's puppy dog eyes. "Just don't use those eyes on me anymore!"

Hugo smirked at his friend. Like Harry, he knew no one could resist his puppy dog eyes. After all, he learned from the best, and Harry could get anyone to fall to his whims with those eyes of his.

"We're almost there," the Sergeant said snapping him from his thoughts. "Get ready, you two. This door could lead to either the Zexen side or the Grassland side," he said after reaching a solitary door at the end of the passage.

"Wouldn't that just be our luck?" Hugo commented sarcastically. "Alright, let's do it."

**Author's Note: **This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest, but it was more of a filler chapter. For those that have played Suikoden III, you know that I am leaving certain scenes out due to time. If I wrote each scene of the game in detail, I would never finish the story at all. Until the main part of the war starts, I will just briefly touch on each important scene or at least mention it. After that, however, the story will slow down. Remember, I also have to leave room for Harry's love life to blossom. Please bear with me in this. Well, cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Five**

_The sight in front of them was one of utter horror. How had this happened? What happened to all of the fighters protecting the village? Hugo slid to the ground as he stared the burning wreckage of his home. It was unbelievable._

"_What about our families?" Lulu cried out in horror and took off in a sprint towards the village._

"_Lulu, wait for us!" the Sergeant yelled and took chase after the boy._

_Hugo stumbled to his feet and followed the pair, Fubar close behind. Several Karaya fighters' bodies littered the ground towards the village entrance. It looked like Zexen steel had inflicted the wounds. Upon reaching the entrance, Hugo gasped at the scene he was witnessing. It was as if it was happening in slow motion, Lulu pulling his knife, Lulu charging the female knight, and the knight slashing him down._

"_Lulu, No!" he tried to scream, but it voice refused to emit any noise._

Hugo jerked awake panting and covered in a cold sweat. It was the second night in a row he had that dream. No, it was more like a nightmare. Each time he had to stand and watch his best friend die, not able to do anything at all. It was killing him inside. He had promised their mothers that he would keep them safe, but he failed in the end.

The teen slung the covers off his body and swung his feet over the side. He could not sleep without seeing that scene repeatedly. Hugo shivered as his feet touched the bare, wooden floor. It was not cold or anything, but the wooden floors in the Duck Village seemed to absorb the cold. Standing up, Hugo grabbed his shirt from the nightstand and pulled it over his head. He needed some fresh air. He could not be tired tomorrow, especially if he and the Sergeant were acting as guides for the spoiled Lily Pendragon. She certainly was annoying and demanding. He honestly did not know how her attendants put up with her attitude. Maybe the pay was good or something.

Walking along the dock just outside his room, Hugo let his mind wander onto things that were more important. For instance, there was Harry and his mother. Were they okay? If so then where were they? The Sergeant had tried to reassure him somewhat, but failed miserably.

"Why are you still awake?" Lily asked from the porch in front of her room. Hugo felt like glaring at the brat and telling her off, but chose silence instead. "Fine, don't tell me. It's not like I wanted to know anyway." Lily hated it when anyone ignored her.

Hugo did scowl at the girl this time. "It's none of your business. How is that?" he asked sarcastically.

In a show of maturity, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I was just trying to comfort you, jerk. Besides, the Sergeant already told me what happened." she finished, sticking her nose in the air.

"Well, he shouldn't have said anything!" Hugo lashed out. "If I had wanted you to know I would've told you myself!"

"Well, friends are supposed to comfort each other." she argued.

Hugo laughed loudly at her statement. "Friends… don't make me laugh. I only have two friends left among the living, and you're not one of them." Hugo waited for the girl to reply, but she remained silent. Shrugging, he headed back to his room. He would rather face his nightmares than put up with her.

… … …

"Harry, could you hand me that vase over there?" the store clerk asked. For the past several days, Harry had been helping the various clerks within the Great Hollow. If nothing else, he helped alleviate his boredom.

"Sure, no problem,"

Harry continued working until the shop clerk told him to take a break for lunch. Of course, the clerk threatened him with his mother if he did not head his warnings. To avoid the wrath of his mother, Harry took his break. He would have enjoyed working instead. Harry grabbed an apple on his way out of the store and headed towards the fountain to eat. The fountain was a beautiful work of art and was empty most of the time. Not too many people…lizards hung around it. Except for today that is.

"Hi," Harry said offhandedly as he took a seat next to the little girl.

"Hi," she replied in a subdued tone. They sat in silence for a while before the little girl spoke up again. "Am I bothering you? If I am, then I can move."

Harry quickly waved off her worries. "You're not bothering me. I'm just worried is all." he had no clue why he was opening up to her. "My brother hasn't made it back yet."

The little girl nodded in sympathy. "I'm sure he'll get here soon." she soothed. "I met a Karayan boy when I was in Vinay del Zexay," she said suddenly with a smile. "He was nice too."

Harry turned towards the girl and blinked. "Um…okay," he said stupidly, causing the girl to laugh.

"It's okay. I'm sure you don't really want to hear my story."

Harry shook his head, making his messy locks even messier. "No, go ahead and tell me. I'm kind of interested anyway," he told her truthfully.

The girl smiled brightly at Harry. "Well, my friends and I went on an adventure with him to the caves north of Vinay del Zexay. Of course, I thought he was an enemy at first," she confessed sheepishly. "But he turned out to be a good guy. I just wish I could've seen more of him before my father and I had to leave." the girl stared at the stone floor as she spoke. Harry could tell that leaving the city had hurt her.

"So, what was this boy's name?" Harry asked, trying to pull her from her depressing thoughts.

The girl raised her head to look him in the eye and leaned back against the wall of the fountain. "Hmm…I think his name was Hugo, but I'm not sure. He had another boy and a duck with him," she told him.

Harry's eyes widened and he shucked in a sharp breath. "Where was he the last time you saw him?" he asked, but it sounded more like a demand.

The girl cocked her head to the side in thought. "I'm not sure really. After he dropped me, Melville and Elliot off at home I didn't see him anymore." Harry's shoulders slumped at her words. "Do you know Hugo?" the girl asked in afterthought.

The teen nodded slightly. "Yeah, he's my little brother."

"Wow! He didn't tell us he had a brother!" the girl cried out. "But you look nothing alike."

Harry smiled tightly at the girl. She had hit a sensitive nerve without knowing. "Well, Hugo and I had different fathers." he lied. "My father died shortly after I was born, and mom then married Hugo's father. But he's dead now also." he knew he was full of it, but this girl did not.

"Oh, I'm sorry." she said with lowered eyes. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"It is alright." he assured her. "You didn't know. How could you?"

The girl looked up at him with a stubborn look on her young face. "Still, I shouldn't have just blurted that out. I barely know you."

Harry rolled his eyes at the girl. Damn, she was a stubborn brat. "I said it was okay and it is. Just think the next time you open your mouth." the girl frowned but nodded. "Anyway, my name's Harry. What's yours?"

"Oh, I'm Alanis."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alanis." Harry reached out shook her hand. "Why are you in the Great Hollow? Didn't you know this is where the Lizard Clan lives?" he asked curiously.

The girl, Alanis, blushed as she bowed her head. "My father is a merchant trader so we move a lot. When we were headed for our next destination the fighting started and we got taken prisoner," she explained.

"Oh."

The girl must have mistook his remark and quickly tried to explain. "It's not so bad here, really. We can move about, as we like. We just can't leave," she said in a single breath.

"Well, I guess that's better dying in the middle of a fight." Harry mused quietly. Harry glanced back towards the shop and noticed the 'be right back' sign was missing. "Well, I better get going. I still have more work to do." he said and stood, brushing off the back of his pants.

"Oh well, see you later, Harry." the girl called out and waved at him.

… … …

"Hugo, it's time to wake up." Said blonde-haired boy grunted and burrowed deeper into his covers. "I didn't want to do this, but you've left me little choice." Seconds later a bucket of ice water splashed against the boy's bare chest.

"What the hell…" the teen cried out and jumped from his soaked bed. "Sergeant, did you have to do that?" he whined childishly.

The duck rolled his eyes at the fifteen year old. "I tried to wake you five times. And each time, you rolled back over."

The teen huffed indignantly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah well, you could've just rolled me off into the floor!" he snapped. "That was cruel, even for you."

"Well, I learned it from your brother." Jordi quacked in response.

Hugo's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in disbelief. "You're lying, Sergeant!" he accused. "Harry would never teach you that."

Jordi scoffed at the teen. "Think what you want, but guess dressed. Her highness his ready tot leave." he finished in a mocking tone.

Hugo grimaced. "Yeah well, she's probably pissed off at me." the Sergeant raised a feather eyebrow at him. "We had words last night. She dug into problems that aren't hers." he elaborated.

The duck nodded. "Good. Maybe that will keep her off our backs today." he hoped.

Hugo snorted in humor and disbelief. "Doubtful… she's worse than a harpy in heat," he added dryly, causing the Sergeant to snort.

"And how would you know what a harpy in heat acts like?"

"Trust me, Sergeant, you don't want to know."

**Author's Note: **All right people, the fifth chapter is now complete. In the next chapter, will Harry and Hugo see each other again, or will something happen to keep them further apart. Well, I am certainly not telling. You will just have to wait and find out. Anyway, I hope at least a few people are enjoying this story. Well, cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Six**

When someone close to your heart is missing, thoughts of that person seem to permeate your every waking hour. It was the same for the Karaya Clan's son too. A week had passed since the raid on the village and Hugo had yet to show up. He knew he promised not to go searching by himself, but he was worried for his brother. Hugo knew to come directly to the Great Hollow if something happened to the village. Their mother had drilled that into their heads. Of course, something could be keeping him from making it to the Great Hollow. That is what worried Harry the most. Not even Sergeant Jordi could handle everything. For all he knew, they were lying dead in some field.

'No, you mustn't think that' he scolded himself. Those kinds of thoughts were not helping the situation at all. He was not as bad as his mother was, though. That woman was a wreck, even if no one else could tell. He knew she was just as worried as he was about Hugo. She could just hide her feelings better than he could. Besides, she had quite a few years on him. He imagined that one got use to these kinds of situations.

Back to the matter at hand, he had to figure out what to do. Jimba had yet to return from his surveillance mission and Beecham was missing. It wasn't on purpose, but his mother had broken her promise. She knew better than to promise things she had no control over. She had promised to have one of them search for Hugo if he had not shown up in a week. Well, it had been a week already.

That left him with a single option. He had to search for Hugo himself.

… … …

"Are you certain of this?"

"Yes, Master Luc. I felt the power all the way from the village."

A short man in a green coat stopped pacing and turned towards the blonde-haired woman. "Sarah, do you think he'll interfere?" he asked.

The blonde woman sighed softly and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Honestly, I don't know. But he is the son of the Karaya Clan's chief." she stated softly. "One would think he'd fight for his people."

"True, but you said he looks differently. Maybe he isn't a Karaya after all," he said mostly to himself and fell silent in thought. The silence stretched for a few minutes, before a smile stretched across the short mage's lips. "Call Yuber… I have a mission for him."

The blonde-haired woman eyed Luc curiously but chose not to ask questions. Chances were he would not tell her his plan until it happened anyway. "Yes, Master Luc."

… … …

"We've been in this tunnel for days now. How much further is the exit?" Lilly whined and drug her feet.

The others were just as tired as she was and annoyed with her continuous bellyaching. Traveling through the Ancient Highway was her idea in the first place. Now she was whining about it. She really was a spoiled, coddled brat. 'Thank the spirits she's an only child' Hugo found himself thinking for the hundredth time.

"Lilly, we'll be at the exit when we get there." Hugo snapped. He was tired, cold and hungry. Her constant complaining was not helping either. "Will you just shut up until we get there?"

Lilly huffed, crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "Do you know who my father is? You can't talk to me that way!"

"Like I give a shit anyhow, you stuck up harpy!"

"W-What did you just call me?" she stuttered in shock, before an angry scowl appeared on her face. "You take that back, barbarian!"

"Oh, so I'm a barbarian? Would you like me to show you how much of a barbarian I am?" he threatened. "Trust me, you won't like it."

"You don't scare me." she sneered. "Reed, Samus, kick his ass." she ordered her attendants, who pleasantly pretended not to hear her. "Didn't you hear me? I said KICK HIS BARBARIAN ASS!" Luckily, both men were already out of earshot. Knowing her attendants were ignoring her, Lilly threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm surrounded by morons!" The others simply snickered at her plight.

… … …

Meanwhile, someone else was plotting how to get his hands on a certain mage. Normally he would have just killed the person, but they needed this one alive. A corpse was meaningless to their plans. However, if they let the mage roam free, he could cause serious problems. Even if he hated Luc, he was happy with the amount of bloodshed and destruction he was causing. There was no way he would ever turn his back on that kind of prize.

Silently he slipped passed the two lizard guards and into the Great Hollow. 'That was easy' he thought. The man's face scrunched up in disgust at the stench of the lizards' home. It was not bloody enough for his tastes. Well, not yet anyway. Soon, though, he would see the walls splattered with their blood. First, he had a certain mage to abduct.

Mismatched red and blue eyes scanned across the occupants of the Great Hollow but he could not find the mage. He knew he could spot him within seconds, though. Honestly, how many Karayans had pale skin, ebony hair and emerald green eyes? So far, he only knew of one, and he was his target.

Hiding his face in the shadow of his hat, the blonde demon strolled casually through the throng of people, and thanks to the power of his True Rune, he went unnoticed. While he considered it a curse most of the time, it was a helpful thing to possess in this case. Gliding soundlessly towards the Karaya Clan chief and her lieutenant, the demon stopped and listened in on their conversation.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Lucia whispered harshly. "I thought you were keeping an eye on him?"

The older man had the decency to look thoroughly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Lucia. But he disappeared sometime in the night." he explained. "I'll send some men out to search for him."

The chief sighed heavily. "No, Beecham. We can't afford to have our men leaving with all the recent attacks."

Beecham's eyes narrowed at the chief. "Don't you care at all? Your son is out there by himself!" he hissed angrily.

Lucia's blue-green eyes flashed in anger as her hand came out of nowhere. All the occupants of the Great Hollow could hear the slap echoing off the stone surface of the walls. Everyone turned towards the arguing pair to see Lucia standing over the older man, who was holding his rapidly bruising cheek.

"I may value your skills as a warrior, but I won't think twice about killing you if you ever utter another word like that!" the infuriated woman hissed. "I love my children. Of course, I am worried about Harry. But I have to do what's best for the clan, not what's best for me!"

Before things could progress further, Luce stepped in front of Lucia while Jimba placed himself in front of Beecham. "Beecham, that was uncalled for. Lucia, let's get some tea and calm you down." Luce said wrapping her arms around Lucia's shoulders and leading her away.

The two men stood in silence, glaring at one another. Jimba had always respected the older man, but his comments to Lucia were malicious and wrong. "You know, you're going to have to kiss major ass when she calms down." he commented and sniggered when the older man groaned loudly.

"Honestly, Jimba, I didn't mean what I said." Beecham confessed quietly. "I see Harry as my own. I was just shocked that she wouldn't send a search party out for him."

Jimba nodded and clapped the man's shoulder in sympathy. "I know, Beecham. However, she is right. She has to look out for the whole clan, not just herself," he told him. "Besides, Harry knows how to look after himself. He'll be fine." the 'I hope' went unsaid.

A few feet away, the blonde-haired demon growled in anger. How dare his prey up and walk out on him. 'Well, it just makes my job a bit more interesting' his mind supplied causing a devious smirk to form on his lips. Yes, he was going to have some fun with this after all.

… … …

Harry stared at the fortress in the distance in fascination. Never before had he seen something so big. Well, the Great Hollow was huge but not on this scale. He knew he had to be careful, though. From here forward was Zexen territory. If he wanted to find his brother, he would have to travel through their lands. He honestly did not mind it that much. He never was one of the more stubborn Grasslanders that held a grudge. War was ugly and could turn the gentlest of men into raging, bloodthirsty maniacs. He had seen it firsthand.

Shaking his head, he started towards the fortress. It was still about a day or so away, but he wanted to cover as much ground as possible while it was still light. He just hoped he could find Hugo and get back before his mother went ballistic on everyone.

"I am so dead when I get home," he muttered.

Yes, his mother would string him up by his toes and torture him until he promised not to do anything dangerous again. You know, for being the chief of a warrior clan she worried too much. Who in their right mind would ever tell her that to her face, though?

… … …

"Sergeant, we're almost there." Hugo crowed happily when he spotted light at the end of the tunnel.

The duck rolled his again at the exuberant youth. "Calm down, Hugo. I'm sure Harry will be just as happy to see you as well." he teased and laughed when the teen turned a bright shade of red.

"Shut up, Sergeant!" the teen snapped and glared for good measure. "He's my brother, for crying out loud!"

Jordi raised a feathered brow in his direction. "Really…? That didn't stop you from screaming his name last night." The duck quickly jumped back to avoid the teen's fist. "Now, now, there's no need to get violent with an old, helpless duck." he chastised.

Hugo snorted. "You are anything but old and helpless," he said dryly. "But you are a major pain in my ass." he said and jumped sideways, barely avoiding the duck halberd swung in his direction. "Damn, Sergeant! Are you trying to kill me!" he screeched.

"You started it."

"Like I said, you're a major pain in my ass."

The three travelers from Tinto tried to keep their laughter in as the Sergeant chased the teenage Karaya boy in a circle; barely missing him by a few centimeters at each grab. Okay, Samus and Reed tried to stifle their laughter but Lilly did not.

**Author's Note: **There you have it. The sixth chapter is complete. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Of those that have played Suikoden III, I know that Sergeant Jordi (Joe), Hugo, and Lucia are all very much out of character, but I have my reasons. Besides, they are all pretty close so they act differently around each other. I wonder where Harry disappeared. Who was that man attempting to kidnap him? Hmm…I wonder. Anyway, cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **For those that are curious, a few chapters back I named the runes that Harry possesses but never explained exactly what they were. The Flowing Rune deals with the element of water, and is mainly defensive magic. The Cyclone Rune consists of wind and is for attacking and healing. Finally, the Thunder Rune is, yep you guessed it, lightning and is nothing but strong, destructive magic. There are several other magical element based runes that I will explain when I introduce them into the story. As for Harry's magic, yes, he still uses it. He just does not feel very comfortable using it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Seven**

The fortress was not as large as it appeared from a distance. This was odd because most objects appeared smaller from a distance. It was of little consequence now. He did not have time to revere the illusionary pile of stone. He could determine which glamour was on it later. Right now, he needed to slip pass the Zexen guard sentries unnoticed, or at least in an inconspicuous manner. Either would be extremely difficult to achieve.

Sighing heavily, Harry leaned against a large tree just outside the gates of the fortress. While he was from the Karaya Clan, he could always use glamour charms to hide his appearance. Of course, he took the chance of alerting the Rune Keepers of his presence. Despite their name, Rune Keepers kept watch for any use of magic. They did not track simple runic spells, such as healing, as closely as they watched for glamour and destructive magic. They would then alert the knights and the chase would begin. If possible, he wanted to avoid that scenario.

Of course, most of Zexen would recognize him as the eldest son of the Karaya Clan's chief. No matter which path he opted for, he would have to tread lightly to avoid detection by anyone. He was not worried about the lowly grunts but he was worried about the Mighty Six Knights of Zexen. They had an elf among their ranks that would most likely spot him quickly. Elves had keen eyesight and an ability to remember various, trivial specs of knowledge. That is probably why most excelled in the study of magic and strategy. Hell, because of his memory, he could probably study and excel in strategy. There was only one problem, though. He would never get the chance to study it. The only good place to learn was in Harmonia, and Harmonia did not look kindly on Grasslanders. It was a pity really.

Harry snapped from his thoughts at the sound of approaching footsteps. He expected the sound of iron-plated boots, but was pleasantly surprised to hear soft clicking noises instead. It almost sounded like the sound high heels made against stone and gravel. As the sound grew closer, Harry slunk behind the tree's trunk and waited. Never before in his life had he seen any woman as beautiful as the one approaching. She was not particularly tall, but she held herself with a sense of superiority. Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow and her black gown hugged her formed in all the right places. The only thing that set his mind at ease was her charming, teasing smile. While she was beautiful, Harry had no interest in her at all. That was probably due to him being gay, but oh well.

The woman suddenly stopped walking and looked directly in the direction he was hiding. "You can come out now. I won't hurt you." she said and giggled happily.

Harry did a nice impression of a goldfish at that moment. How had she seen him? "How do I know I can trust you?" he asked from his hiding place.

The woman giggled more before speaking. "I wouldn't dare hurt my old friend's apprentice."

"Huh?" he mumbled stupidly.

"I'm being truthful with you, Harry." Harry's eyes went wide at the mention of his name. He knew he had not said his name yet. "Oh, stop with whole wide eyes thing." this time his mouth dropped open in shock. He was behind a giant tree. She could not have seen him, could she? She puzzled him until she spoke up again. "Your magic aura gives away your emotions. I can tell a lot just by reading its fluctuation," she explained, letting a few giggles escape.

Honestly, he thought she was insane or a total airhead. "You said I was your old friend's apprentice. What did you mean?" he asked curiously.

The woman blinked, surprised by his question. "You mean he hasn't told you?" Harry stepped out from behind the tree and stared blankly at her. "I'll take that as a no then." she commented. "Anyway, I'm Jeane. I know your magic instructor."

"You know Dumbledore? But how?" by now he was confused. Dumbledore was an old man, but he always talked about a woman named Jeane that referred to as an old hag. Surely, this Jeane and that one could not be the same.

Noticing his perplexed look she suggested, "Harry, let's continue this discussion in my shop. We'll have less chance of being overheard." to which he dumbly nodded.

… … …

"He's a sixteen year old boy! How could you loose him?" Luc was pissed and made sure everyone knew it. Sarah winced. She hated to be in Yuber's shoes right about now. "You are a demon that possesses a True Rune! Are you completely useless?"

The blonde haired demon growled at the short mage. "I'd watch myself if I were you. I'm not one of your pathetic underlings you can just boss around."

"Of course not, my underlings, as you put it, actually complete their assignments successfully," the mage snapped heatedly.

"Then why didn't you send one of them?" the demon bit sarcastically.

The mage smirked maliciously at the demon. "Because you're expendable…"

… … …

"Follow me to the back and we'll talk." Jeane said, closing the door and flipping the store sign from 'Open' to 'Close'.

Harry followed the beautiful rune mistress in silence while observing her shop closely. Despite her flamboyant personality, her shop was quite bare and simple. There were a few vases filled with numerous flowers, shelves lined with the different runes she sold and soft, soothing music filled the air. Other than that, there was not much else.

"I tend to move my shop a lot," she explained after noticing his inquisitive glances. "Too many items would be a hindrance."

"I can understand that." Harry replied with a nod. "So, why do you move a lot?" he asked when they finally sat down.

The rune mistress smiled brightly and offered him tea, which he declined, before answering. "I am needed by many people. I simply can't stay in one spot." Harry nodded at her answer, but was thoroughly confused. "Anyway, back to the topic we spoke of before. I've known your instructor for quite some time."

Remembering what Dumbledore said about the woman, he just had to ask, "Why does Dumbledore call you an old hag?" Jeane raised a perfect eyebrow at him, causing his cheeks to flush with color.

"He really calls me an old hag?" she asked bemused. "Well now, that isn't very nice at all." she said to herself and giggled. "I'll just have to start calling him an unattractive name then."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you angry with him." Harry mumbled.

The rune mistress waved off his apologies. "It's fine. I'm older than I look." she said and winked. "But that isn't important right now. What is important is that someone is trying to start a war for their own personal reasons."

Harry's head snapped up and he started at the rune mistress in shock. "I know it!" he suddenly screamed and jumped up from his seat. "I felt that spell and just knew something was wrong," he mumbled as he started pacing.

"Calm down, Harry. It won't help anything if you're too angry to think properly." she scolded the teen. Harry mumbled an apology and fell back into his chair.

Several minutes passed in silence before Harry spoke again. "Who is enticing this war?"

Jeane blinked at his forwardness. "Wow, you don't waste time with useless pleasantries." she commented. "As for who is behind this plot, I know not. I do know that if he or she succeeds then there'll be thousands of people who suffer."

The teen nodded silently and tried to control his burning anger. How dare someone use people like their puppets. People were not things you could use and throw away when their usefulness waned. Whoever was causing this would regret the day they crossed the son of the Karaya Clan.

… … …

Violet eyes cracked open at the sun's glare and instantly snapped back shut at the brightness of its light. While she usually loved morning, she had not gotten to bed until late last night. It had taken a toll on her. Hearing movement close to her, she opened a single eye and spotted her squire readying her armor. No matter how many times she told him he did not have to, he still prepared her armor, fetched hot water for her bath, and cleaned up after her. Honestly, that was not his job.

"Good morning, milady." the blonde haired boy greeted and smiled when the woman groaned loudly. "That'll teach you not to let Percival make your drinks."

The woman glared at the boy. "Louis, don't make me kill you this morning," she threatened. "I'd hate to have to replace my squire because he teased me I had a hangover."

The boy tired to stifle a smile, but failed. "My apologies, milady, but I know you won't hurt me."

The woman raised a silver eyebrow in his direction. "And what makes you say that?"

The boy's smile widened. "Because you promised my father you'd make a knight out of me. And I know you never break a promise." He laughed outright when the woman huffed and yanked the covers over her head.

"Remind to kill your father so I can kill you the next time you do this," she said in a voice muffled by the blankets.

The boy laughed loudly but said, "Anything you say, Lady Chris."

**Author's Note: **For those who have played the Suikoden series of games, I know that Jeane is a bit out of character, except her giggling and her being a rune mistress. However, since she does not seem to play a major role in any of the games, I decided to use her as a main character in my story. That should make some of you Jeane fans happy. You already know she is quite old, so her being friends with Dumbledore is not that much of a stretch, in age I mean. Well, that is the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Hmm…I am not sure when Harry and Hugo will actually see one another again. I hope it will be soon, but you never know with me. Well, cheers!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Eight**

Jeane had explained all she could about the upcoming war, but what she knew was not much at all. She knew more than the average person did, but she did not know everything. Fortunately, she had enough information to give them a start. Someone was enticing the war in hopes of finding the last three elemental true runes. At first, they considered Harmonia as the culprit, but ruled it out soon afterward. Harmonia would not entice a war in secret. That was not their style. No, they would just invade and take what they wanted by sheer force. Numerous other countries had already fallen to them. For those that resisted, life was never the same.

Harry stared at the woman in front of him, unable to think of what to do next. Sure, he had the needed information, but he did not know who the puppeteers were. Without knowing the enemy, how could he think of a counteraction?

"Harry?" the teen blinked, regaining his focus.

"I'm sorry, but what did you say?" he asked.

The rune mistress rolled her eyes playfully at the boy. "I wanted to know when we should leave?" she repeated her question.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Harry cocked his head in confusion. Jeane thought he looked like a lost, cute puppy.

"Well, you want to stop the war, right?" Harry nodded. "Then we should probably set out soon. The sooner we leave, the sooner we find out who's behind this and stop them," she explained.

Harry ran a hand through his messy locks and closed his eyes in thought. As much as he did not want to endanger anyone else, he knew he needed help. Besides, Jeane was no slouch with magic, especially if she was the one who trained his instructor. Still, he felt odd asking her to come along. What if she was injured, or, what if she died trying to help him?

"Would you rather ask your mother or brother to accompany you?" Jeane asked suddenly, causing his eyes to snap open.

"Of course not!" he snapped. "It's too dangerous for them!"

Jeane's eyes twinkled merrily as she continued. "Good, then you don't object to me coming alone? It's better to endanger me than to endanger your loved ones." Harry groaned. He walked right into that one. He still sent her a withering glare that did not affect her in the least.

"You are an evil, vile, manipulative woman." he spat. "Fine, you can come." he huffed and threw his hands up in defeat.

Jeane giggled. "Thank you. Anyway, our first stop should be the Great Hollow." she informed him. "You need to inform your mother of your plans. If something should happen to you…" Harry nodded, but secretly dreaded what awaited him once he explained everything to his mother.

… … …

"Hmm…something's not right, Sergeant." Hugo exclaimed when they exited the dark, dreary tunnel. "Listen to that noise."

"You're right, Hugo." Samus, Lilly's dark skinned attendant, commented. "It sounds like sword against sword, and its close."

Hugo glanced at the Sergeant from the corner of his eye and they nodded to one another before taking off in a run. Reed and Samus followed close behind, while Lilly and Fubar brought up the rear. Upon entering the clearing, Hugo's eyes nearly bulged out at the sight of the Zexen Knights attacking the Great Hollow. 'Hadn't our village been enough for them' he thought.

"Sergeant, we have to help." he cried out and took off, ignoring the Sergeant's cries for him to stop.

"Damn brat…" the duck mumbled and took off after the teen.

The other three stood rooted in place as they watched the Zexen Knights fight against the Lizard and Karaya Clans. They had seen war and death before, but this, this was a massacre. When they set off for the Grasslands, they had not expected this.

"Miss Lilly, we have to help." Reed, her blonde haired attendant, said suddenly.

"Why must we help?" Lilly huffed. To be honest, she was scared.

"If we don't help them, they'll be slaughtered. Then who will you ask about the Flame Champion?" Samus countered, knowing that she would only help if it benefited her in some way.

The red haired girl scowled at her attendants, knowing they had outmaneuvered her. "Fine, just don't let me die." she ordered and took off after Hugo and the Sergeant.

… … …

"Jeane, can I ask you something?" They had been traveling for a few hours in silence when Harry spoke. Jeane nodded. "You said you were older than you look. Just how old are you?" he asked shyly.

The rune mistress giggled and winked at the blushing boy. "I'm older than your mother," she answered merrily.

Harry scowled darkly at the evasive woman. That is not what he meant, and she knew it. "Jeane, tell me the truth, okay?" he tried again.

This time the woman stopped walking and turned so she was facing him. "I wish I could, Harry, but I don't remember," she said, frowning slightly. "I lost count a long time ago."

He was sure he resembled an ugly, open-mouthed fish right about now. "You lost count?" he squeaked and she nodded, her smile returning. "You mean to tell me that you're so old that you lost count?" Yeah it was rude, but at that moment, he did not care.

Jeane huffed and blew a stray hair out of her face. "Geez, you sure know how to make a girl feel special." she retorted sarcastically.

Harry shook his head at her. "Your guilt trips won't work on me," he told her and then added, "And neither will your looks." He knew she had tried to use her Charm Rune on him. He had felt its pull, but had been able to fight it due to his sexuality. You could not charm someone that had no interest in your body in the first place.

If she was shocked, she did not show it. "Well, Harry, care to explain why that is?" Oh, she had an idea, but she wanted to make certain. Harry gave her a 'are you stupid' look. "Hmm…I guess that's why you haven't taken a second look in my direction," she grumbled. Never had she met anyone who could resist her. Not that she took advantage of many people, but it did have its advantages.

Harry blushed to his roots at her words. Was he that obvious? Harry snorted aloud at his thoughts. He slept cuddled next to boy almost every night. Of course, he was obvious. "Well, maybe we should just hurry along. After all, we still have a lot of ground to cover." he did not wait for an answer and started walking, not even looking back to see if she was following.

They had not made it very far when Harry suddenly stopped. He remained silent and stared at something in the distance with horror-filled eyes. Slightly worried for her companion, Jeane followed his stare and nearly screamed. Smoke filled the air in the direction of the Great Hollow, their destination. Besides her, she could not only see, but also feel the tremors of fear pouring off the young man. She had not known him long, but she knew what he was thinking.

"Harry, this isn't your fault," she said sharply, only to have pained eyes directed on her. "All we can do now is hope that they'll survive until we get there." The rune mistress watched as his eyes morphed from pained and frightened to hard and cold. It was a scary sight indeed. She pitied anyone who crossed him.

"Let's go."

… … …

"Mom, are you okay?" Hugo panted as he reached his mother's side. He had just fought through a dozen knights to get to her.

Lucia's eyes widened at the sight of her son. He was bloody and had numerous injuries up and down his body. "I'm fine," she gasped out, dodging and countering her opponents trust. "We'll have to save to the hellos for later, though."

Moments later, Sergeant Jordi and the three travelers from Tinto joined them. Each looked weary and had numerous injuries. However, they knew they could not stop to heal themselves. That would have to wait until later. The fighting was intense and brutal. It did not seem as if the battle would let up anytime soon, either.

"We have to push them back." Luca said to Dupa.

The Lizard Clan chief nodded, looking as weary as the rest. "I know." he growled. "But how...?" Strategy was not his area of expertise.

"These knights are aiming for extermination." Jordi commented, panting heavily. "They want the Lizard and Karaya Clans out of the way."

"Why you figure that?"

The Sergeant turned towards the clan chiefs wearing a 'duh' look. "The Lizard and Karaya Clans are the only ones with the power to stand up to them," he informed them. Turning back towards the battle, the duck's eyes widened as he watched a knight sneaking up on from behind Hugo. Knowing he could not make it in time, he shouted a warning. "Hugo, watch out!"

The boy whipped around but did not have time to react before the knight shoved him hard. Hugo fell hard onto his back and stared in muted silence as the knight swung his sword downward. Closing his eyes, he waited for the cold metal to hit. But…

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

**Author's Note: **Sorry this chapter is shorter than the rest, but I needed to stop. I had to set things up for the next chapter. All right, I really just wanted to leave a cliffhanger. I bet you all just love me now. Yes, that was sarcasm. Anyway, I know everyone already knows who threw that curse. Before anyone flames me for Harry using an Unforgivable, remember that he has not grown up in the Wizarding World, so he does not know the curses are illegal. Dumbledore probably taught them to him because of the world Harry lives in. And what is the Ministry going to do, arrest him? He is in a different world, so they have no control over him. Well, cheers!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter Nine**

All movement ceased as the blinding, green light hit its target, and everyone watched in horror as the unlucky knight crumpled to the ground. Panting and burning with rage, the wind picked up around the dark haired boy, and his body seemed to crackle with energy. The small teen made even the hardcore, fearless, veteran knights cringe in fear. After all, they had just watched a man fall from a single attack.

"STOP!" the teen shouted, his normally peaceful emerald orbs glowing with suppressed power. "If you value the lived of your men, you'll withdraw your knights." Harry's voice was hard and cold like steel as he spoke to the knight's captain.

Chris shuddered and had to look away from those eyes. However, she remained firm. "We were sent to due a duty. We won't back down." she told him stubbornly.

Harry's eyes darkened to the shade of the curse he had just thrown. "And just what would that be?" he asked in a chilly, stern tone.

The silver haired woman opened her mouth to speak but a large man with an axe started before she could. "And just who do you think you are, boy?" he snapped.

Harry instantly disliked the man. With a wave of his hand and a silent Epelliarmus, he sent the brute flying backwards into the body of another soldier. Harry sneered in his direction before turning his attention back towards the female captain.

"I thought I told you to leave," he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Chris let her eyes roam across her knights and noticed they were in a state of shock at what they had just witnessed. Most men could not even come close to budging Leo, but this boy had sent him flying with a simple wave of his hand. It was frightening. After all this, her knights would be no good.

"All soldiers are to retreat to Brass Castle." Salome, her second-in-command, ordered at her nod.

Harry watched them closely as they all but ran for the exit of the Great Hollow. If the situation had not been serious, we would have laughed. One by one, the knights fled, slowly emptying from the battlefield. When the last knight was out of sight, Harry's knees buckled and he fell to the ground. He could not believe what he had just done. He was so out of it that he did not notice someone's hand waving in front of his face.

"Harry!" someone shouted and he finally looked up. It was his Hugo. "Are you alright?" his blue-green eyes were swimming with concern. Harry nodded and tried to stand, but would have fallen if Hugo had not wrapped his arms around his waist. "Easy, Harry. Let's get you inside."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but saw his brother's determined and worried look. "Thanks." he mumbled instead and rested his head against his brother's shoulder.

Hugo, on the other hand, was doing a little jig of happiness on the inside. He had always enjoyed the feeling of Harry in his arms, but now he knew why. Glancing down at the older boy, he felt his heart skip a beat. Why had he never noticed how beautiful Harry was before? From his flawless, porcelain skin, to his dark, ebony hair, and his soulful, emerald eyes… he was a work of art.

Glancing around, Hugo caught the knowing look the Sergeant sent his way and the curious glances from his mother and Dupa. Inwardly he groaned. How would he get out of this one? 'Hey mom, I am in love with the person I thought was my brother until a couple weeks ago' Hugo snorted loudly, causing him to get more weird looks. Choosing to ignore everyone, Hugo swept Harry into his arms and carried him bridal style into the Great Hollow. Of course, Harry yelled at him the whole way, much to everyone's amusement.

… … …

"Are you still angry with me?" Harry tried not to look at his brother, or he knew he would be on the receiving end of the puppy dog eyes of doom. 'Damn, I never should've taught him that' he snapped at himself. "Come on, Harry. I said I was sorry." Hugo whined and gave his brother his best wide-eyed, innocent look.

"That won't work, Hugo." Harry snapped and looked away.

Several feet away, Lucia, Dupa and the Sergeant were trying their best to hide their laughter. It almost worked too, until Hugo started with the puppy dog eyes.

"You'd think they were married from the way they fight." Dupa commented to Lucia, not noticing the rising blush on Hugo's face.

Lucia did, though, and her eyes widened a small fraction. She had never considered Harry and Hugo feeling anything for one another. It made sense, though. They did spend quite a large amount of time together and Harry had been quite depressed while Hugo was missing. Now she just needed to know if the feelings were one-sided or not. Though she raised them as brothers, she knew that you could not choose whom you loved. Those things happened by themselves.

"Dupa, Sergeant, maybe we should give the boys some time alone. It has been awhile since they last saw one another," she suggested suddenly. Both males looked at her with questioning eyes and she shook her head, telling them she would explain later.

Harry waited until the others left before climbing into Hugo's arms and snuggling into his warmth. He had missed this the most. He did not care what anyone else thought; he liked the feelings of safety and comfort Hugo provided. Harry breathed deeply, inhaling the unique scents of his Hugo. 'Wait a minute, his Hugo' his mind questioned. However, the more he thought about it, the more he hated the idea of Hugo ever holding anyone else. What would Hugo think, though?

"Harry?" Hugo began stroking Harry's ebony locks, enjoying the way it felt between his fingers. "Don't fall asleep on me." he ordered and laughed softly when Harry mumbled incoherently against his chest.

Hugo continued threading his fingers through Harry's hair until he felt his breathing even out. He knew Harry had fallen asleep. If he moved, he knew he would wake him, and Harry needed his rest. He had known that after taking one good look at him. He was exhausted, which meant Harry's sleeping had not been much better that his own. Hugo shifted so he could stretch out and leaned back against the bed. Even if Harry never felt the same way about him, he could at least enjoy the moments like this. Hugo felt his own eyelids getting heavy and did not fight the pull of sleep. He was just too comfortable with Harry resting against him.

Neither noticed when the Karaya Clan chief checked on them a couple hours later, or saw the smile that tugged at her lips.

… … …

"How are they?" Jordi asked when Lucia exited the room. The clan chief jumped slightly before sending a glare towards the duck.

"They're fine, Sergeant. And did you have to sneak up on me?" she snipped. The duck laughed at her and nodded his head.

"It is fun watching you jump from fright." Jordi snickered at the scowl sent his way. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Lucia."

The clan chief sniffed disdainfully. "I am not a stick in the mud," she said with a glare. "I just don't like being surprised is all."

The duck, however, could not keep from laughing at her. "Trust me, Lucia; you're a stick in the mud. I'd swear you were born with a scowl on your face," he howled in laughter.

Lucia did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed her whip from her side and flung it out, making it crack loudly against the stone floor next to him. The Sergeant imitated Lucia's earlier performance and jumped several feet in the air. The clan chief smirked at the now furious and blushing duck (if giant walking, talking ducks can even blush that is).

"Was that necessary?" he snapped.

"Ah, but Sergeant, it is fun watching you jump from fight," she said in a mocking tone, mimicking his earlier words.

His dark blue-violet eyes narrowed at the clan chief. "I swear, Lucia. If you weren't Hugo and Harry's mother, I'd kill you right now," he threatened.

The woman smirked and waved his threats off. "You wouldn't hurt me, even if I wasn't their mother," she claimed. "Besides, I doubt Beecham would let you touch a hair on my pretty little head."

The Sergeant snorted and mumbled something along the lines of 'your head doesn't look that little to me', but she could not be sure. After all, he had mumbled it. Besides, it just felt good to joke with and throw insults at one of her oldest friends. Lucia shook her head at the absurdity of the situation. Anyone walking by would think the two were arguing, but in fact, this was how they got along. Insults became friendly endearments.

… … …

Emerald orbs blinked open and a tired yawn escaped his lips. Man he was tired. The teen stretched and bumped into another body. Glancing to his side, Harry could not help but smile at the sight. Hugo had one arm thrown across his stomach resting against his bare skin and the other thrown over his head. His face was relaxed, his lips slightly parted, and his dark lashes fluttered against his tanned cheeks hiding those bright blue-green eyes that Harry loved so much. He was just too cute, almost like a little kid. Of course, he would never tell him that. Not if he valued his life, and he rather liked being among the living.

Harry slipped quietly off the bed and tiptoed towards the door. He did not want to wake Hugo. He seemed tired and looked like he needed rest. Harry had just made it to the door when he heard the frightened whimper escaped Hugo's lips. His head snapped towards Hugo and he frowned. Hugo was not the kind that usually had nightmares. What happened while he was away? The teen sighed and made his way back towards the bed.

"No! Lulu!" he heard the younger boy cry out. Harry's frown deepened. What happened to Lulu? Harry shook his head banishing his thoughts. He did not have time for this. He needed to wake Hugo up.

"Hugo! Hugo, wake up!" Harry yelled and shook the teen's shoulder. Like a flash of lightning, the teen bolted upright almost smacking his Harry's head with his own.

Hugo rapidly blinked and shook his head, clearing away the rest of the fogginess of his dream. That is when he noticed the older teen. "Harry?"

"Yeah, it's me." Harry answered with a slight nod. "Care to tell me what you were dreaming about?" Hugo's body tensed and he tried to look away, but Harry grabbed his chin and held it in place. "Nu uh…tell me what you were dreaming about." he commanded. Harry was surprised to see tears in Hugo's eyes when he looked at him. To his knowledge, he had never seen him cry. Not even as a child when he would fall down.

Several minutes passed in silence and Harry began to think his brother was not going to tell him, but Hugo started speaking. "At the village when the 'ironheads' attacked, Lulu tried to attack one." he stopped and took a deep breath. "He…he attacked one with his knife…but…" he could not go on. Harry seemed to sense this and pulled Hugo into his arms, whispering words of senseless nonsense in his ear.

"Shhh…Hugo, it's alright. It's alright, love." he soothed, never noticing his slip of the tongue. Apparently, neither did Hugo.

**Author's Note: **Muwahahahahaha! I love cliffys! All right, no that my moment of insanity has passed, I must ask you not to kill me for this wonder cliffhanger. I honestly did not do this on purpose, this time. I just could not think of anything else to add to this chapter. Please, forgive me. Anyway, the boys are comings closer together, if you could not tell on your own. Who knows, maybe there will be some slashy action in the next chapter. You never know. Well, cheers!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Chapter 10**

Several days had passed since his marvelous, manly breakdown in front of Harry, and he tried his best to avoid the older teen like the plague. Hugo hated the fact that he had seen him acting so weak. He was ashamed, to be honest. He was the strong one, the one that had more control over his emotions. However, Harry had been the one to who comforted him. The older teen had not teased him or anything, but he still felt too vulnerable. Worse, Harry was leaving in a few days, and refused to let anyone besides Jeane, the mysterious rune mistress, accompany him. They had argued for hours when Harry told him the news. He did not want him to go, but understood why he needed to.

Someone was enticing this war for his or her own sick pleasures. It made him sick just thinking about it. People were not pawns in a chess game. Even the Zexen people fought with honor, no matter how little they possessed. Why did Harry have to be the one who stopped everything? It was not fair. He knew he was acting like a whiny brat, but he did not want to lose Harry.

Hugo was currently sulking as he walked around the Great Hollow. Sure, people had tried talking with him, but they quickly gave up when he either ignored them, or bit their heads off. Despite their reputation as clan of warriors, the Lizard and Karaya people did not have a death wish. They valued their lives, so smartly chose to avoid him. His mother was no exception. Honestly, though, he was just upset. He had just seen his brother after nearly three weeks, and now he was leaving for an undetermined amount of time. His life officially sucked.

The moody teen stopped and stared the fountain. It was a beautiful sight. Too bad, he never had the chance to admire it before. 'I bet Harry would love this' he found himself thinking, and then mentally slapped his forehead. He should not be thinking of Harry now. He was supposed to be sulking because of the jerk, not wondering whether he would like something or not. 'But you can't help it' inner Hugo claimed. 'You're in love with him. Of course you'd think of him'. Outwardly, he scowled and mumbled incoherently about his traitorous thoughts. Even when he tried not to think of him, his brain managed to rope the gorgeous teen into his thoughts.

Hugo suddenly kicked the stone fountain, yelped in pain and hoped around on one foot.

"Damn… stupid… stone…" he mumbled aloud, ignoring the sniggering Lizard Clan Fighters who had gathered to enjoy the fountain themselves.

Now he was doing stupid shit just because he was mad at Harry. If this was love, then he was not sure if he liked it or not. "Love…? I've been using that word a lot," he thought. When had his crush turned into love? Hugo shook his head, frowning slightly. Just a week ago, it had been a simple crush. When did it become love? Well, he had always loved Harry. He thought he was his brother, until a few weeks ago. However, this, this was different. It was not the type of love one brother should feel for another.

Had it always been there? Did it just develop recently?

Hugo sunk down onto the fountain's base and rested his head in his hands. If his mother had just sent someone else as a messenger, then his life probably would not have become so complicated. It all started on that day he learned of his real relationship to Harry. That is when the feelings started. Scratch that, they had always been there, in some form or another. He wanted to tell Harry everything, to lay it all bare. Would Harry accept it, though, or push him away? He did not know if he could handle not having Harry in his life.

Was losing him worth the chance, though?

… … …

"Harry, you seem preoccupied lately." Jeane commented. The teen glanced up at her, confusion written on his face. "I mean, you haven't been yourself since your talk with Hugo."

Harry made a small 'ah' noise. "He didn't take the news very well," he said bitterly. "He wanted to go with us, and fought when I told him he couldn't." he explained.

"Well, he does love you." she said flippantly and tossed her hair over her shoulder. She wore her hair down today, instead of in its usual ponytail. "He just doesn't want you to get hurt."

"I know, Jeane, but I have to do this." he said with a sigh and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. "I just wish he could understand that." he whined.

Jeane rolled her eyes at the teen. "Well, have you tried talking to him?" she asked and held up her hand when he opened his mouth. "Have you talked to him…not argued, but talked?"

Harry's mouth snapped shut with an audible click. Now that he thought about it, they really had not discussed it in length. Hugo had heard he was leaving and flipped out. The sentiment of his brother's worry was touching, but he could do without it. He needed his family to support him in this, not nag him endlessly. He could understand Hugo's point of view, though. He was leaving and had no clue when he would return. Anyone in his or her right mind would be worried. Hells, if Hugo had dropped something like this on him unexpectedly, he would have screamed, cried, and tie him up just to keep him home.

"I know, Jeane. He probably didn't mean half of what he said," he conceded. "He's just worried and doesn't want me in danger." he continued, but held up his hand to silence to woman. "But, still, he needs to see things from my point of view. I have a chance to stop this war from becoming bloodier than it already is."

The rune mistress nodded in agreement. "True, but all he can see is the danger aspect of it. Have you really explained everything in detail?" she asked. Harry cocked his head in confusion, so she continued. "Maybe he wouldn't be so combative if you explained everything. Sure, you told him it's to stop a war, but…"

"I never explained what would happen if I didn't succeed." he finished for her and cursed his own stupidity. "Damn! Why did I not think of this before? I'm such an idiot!" he all but screamed.

"Harry, I'm sure you eventually would've, but you were just being too emotional." she said softly. She hated the way Harry tended to blame himself for everything. "Besides, he's your little brother. You probably didn't want to scare him." Now that earned her a nasty look.

"Hugo doesn't get scared," he snapped in his brother's defense. "He's the bravest person I know."

"Brave he may be, but I bet he's terrified of losing you."

"Huh?" He probably could have come up with a better response, but he was confused as hell. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." she replied and giggled. "Nothing at all, Harry my dear."

The teen could feel the twitch starting in his brow. Sometimes, she confused him and pissed him off at the same time. It was a very difficult feat to accomplish. After all, look at who his family is.

"I don't like you."

… … …

Hugo was still sulking at the fountain when Harry him a few hours later. Honestly, he looked like hell. If he were not mistaken, he would almost say that Hugo had been crying. His eyes were slightly red and puffy, which were usually the signs of tears. Now he felt even worse than he did before. He had not meant to hurt him that bad. As much as he dreaded the coming talk, it had to happen. He could not put it off.

"Hugo?" Hugo's head snapped up in surprise. "Can we talk…privately?" Harry asked hesitantly. The blonde boy started at him for several minutes before nodding and standing up to follow.

Harry led him to his room. They would not be overheard there. Harry entered his room with a nervous Hugo following close behind, and motioned for him to have a seat. Since there were not any chairs in the room, both boys sat on Harry's bed. Harry waited for Hugo to get comfortable before he started.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier." he started. "You just made me so angry with all your molly-coddling. But I do understand that you're worried." he added at Hugo's piercing glare. "But please, please don't try and stop me. I have to do this or a lot of people will suffer," he begged.

Hugo stared into Harry's emerald orbs and felt his earlier agitation melt away. He could not stay mad at Harry. "I do understand. I just don't like it." he admitted quietly. "And I don't want you in danger."

The older teen sighed softly. "Hugo, I know you want to protect me, but you can't. That's why I'm not letting you come with us," he needless reminded him. "Jeane taught Dumbledore everything he knows. We'll be fine."

"But what if you're not?" Hugo snapped heatedly. "What happens if there's something you can't handle?"

Harry stared wide-eyed at Hugo's outburst, before lowering his eyes to his clasped hands in his lap. "I know it'll be dangerous, but I have to go. Nothing you say will change my mind." he replied stubbornly.

"Why? Why can't I change your mind?" Hugo asked desperately, his fight deflating completely. "Are thousands of unnamed people more important than your family? Are they more important than me?"

Harry's head snapped up at his words. "W-What?" he stuttered slightly.

"I love you, Harry. I don't want to lose you." Hugo whispered.

"I love you too, Hugo." Harry said, but Hugo shook his head at him.

"No, Harry. I…" Hugo paused, trying to find the courage to continue. "I-I'm in love with you." he finished barely above a whisper.

Harry sat in stunned silence. Had he heard correctly? Surely, he was hearing things. Hugo could not be in love with him. Glancing at the blonde boy, all of his denials flew out the window. Hugo was staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes. 'Hugo's in love with me!' his mind screeched. How was he supposed to respond to that? 'Tell him you love him, idiot!' he snapped to himself.

Hugo must have misread his silence, though. "Never mind…I shouldn't have said anything." Hugo snapped and ran from the room before Harry could say anything else.

**Author's Note: **I am such an evil, little jerk! There is another cliffhanger. I hope you are not plotting my death yet; I have too much more to write. Anyway, they are getting closer to revealing their true feelings. I hope you are not too mad at me. Well, cheers!


	11. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or the Suikoden series. I am simply twisting them to meet my sadistic needs.

**Warnings: **I must apologize, but unless you have played the Suikoden series of games, you will most likely not understand most of this story. The theme of the story was stuck in my head as I was playing through Suikoden III again and would not leave until I started writing this story. This story will contain male/male pairings. If this offends anyone then do not read.

**Summary: **Someone sent six-year-old Harry Potter to Lucia, chief of the Karaya Clan, and told her to raise him as her own. However, nothing is simple in concern to Harry Potter. How would having Harry Potter on your side affect the outcome of the Second Fire Bringer War?

**Love Him**

**Epilogue**

Harry never had another chance to see his brother before his and Jeane's departure, something that gnawed at his insides. He hated leaving with unresolved tension between him and Hugo. His brother was important to him. Alas, Hugo avoided him or left the room if Harry was present ever since their talk. No one knew what happened, but each felt the wrath of the brothers just for mentioning the other's name. The spoiled Lilly sure learnt her lesson for insulting Hugo in Harry's presence. No one trashed his brother or mother's name. He did not care who their daddy was.

He and Jeane planned to head for Chisha Village as the first stop on their list. Its leader, Sana, had the last known connection with the Flame Champion, the one who possessed the True Fire Rune. Among the Six Clans, they were the most peaceful and conservative. Sana was a nice woman, though, and Harry loved visiting the old woman. She had some of the most interesting and entertaining stories. She also watched Beecham, Luce and his mother grow up and new lots of embarrassing tells about them.

First, they would pass through Duck Village and then Kuput Forest. He did not know why but that forest freaked him out. It felt like someone was watching him whenever he traveled through the forest. Maybe it was just his imagination, though. He heard stories from some of the older Karayan men, though. Several claimed to have seen a wing-horde child in the forest several years ago. Of course, it could all be tall tales, as usual. The old fogies loved spouting nonsense to the younger generations.

Harry stumbled on a rock in the path and swore colorfully. He should be paying more attention to his surrounding and less to his thoughts.

"Harry, are you alright?" Jeane asked concerned. Harry glanced up and nodded at the woman.

"Yeah, Jeane, I'm fine. My mind was just elsewhere," he told her and she frowned at him. "I swear I'm fine." he reassured at seeing her look.

"If you say so," she sounded skeptical, but did not press it. "So, have you been to Chisha before?"

Harry nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, mom took us few times. Of course, Sana embarrassed the hell out of her, too."

"I see." she replied lightly, fighting to keep the smile off her face. "I take it she told you stories of your mom as a child."

Harry snorted. "Mom only wishes she stopped there." the teen smiled, remembering something humorous. "Did you know my mom use to have a thing for men's clothing?"

The rune mistress stopped in her tracks and stared at her young companion. The look on his face was of complete seriousness. Her lips twitched as a giggle forced its way out. Lucia, Chief of the Karaya Clan, use to have a fetish for men's clothing. It was too much. Her resolve broke at seeing Harry's own lips twitching with suppressed laughter and she laughed loudly. The passing caravan of merchants eyed them warily, wondering what was so funny or it they had lost their minds. It was not everyday you saw two people in hysterics in the middle of the wilderness.

… … …

Lucia's eyes flicked toward Hugo's sleeping form curled around Harry's pillow. Her heart wrenched at the sight. As much as she wanted to pull her baby into her arms and take all the pain away, she knew it would never happen. You cannot help heartache; a pain either grows stronger or diminishes with time. She knew she should be angry with the one who hurt her son, but what if the man was your other son. She knew Harry had not hurt him purposely.

Harry was on mission, a dangerous journey to stop a bloody war from starting. Harry loved this land and his people. It was only natural for him to protect his loved ones from harm, especially Hugo. Not having Hugo's blessing had wounded Harry deeply. She understood where Hugo was coming from. She wanted to wrap Harry in the softest furs and keep him safe for all eternity. Harry was a man, though, and a man can make his own choices.

Lucia glanced at her son a final time, before easing herself out of the room. Leaning against the closed door, Lucia found herself praying to the spirits to keep her children safe.

**Author's Note: **Please do not kill me for this humungous cliffy. Before anyone asks, yes, I did it on purpose. I plan to write a sequel to this story. I am not sure when, though. Just keep your eyes peeled. The second installment will deal with Harry and Hugo starting a relationship with one another. It will also deal with the birth of the new Flame Champion. Well, cheers!


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